Talk:The Cthaeh/@comment-24.14.110.3-20141208060120
Evidence says that Cthaeh is not the tree itself. "I daresay you are. I am no tree. No more than is a man a chair. I am the Cthaeh. You are fortunate to find me. Many would envy you your chance." There are seveal points around Kvothe's conversation with the Cthaeh and with the subsequent conversation between himself and Felurian that bother me. First, the Cthaeh, while being cruel divulges several pieces of information that are pivotal to Kvothe's narrative. It lets us know Laurien was dignified unto her end. This is important because it allows us to (if the Cthaeh can be trusted as Felurian asserts) infer that the dignity can be extended past her artful skill to her previous life, earned in a court, which is put in contrast to Arliden's lowly birth. Next, The Cthaeh mentions, almost in passing, that Kvothe is unlikely to find anyone who would take his search for the Seven seriously unless he went to Stormwal. This is the only time the Cthaeh mentions a specific place by name, hinting at a future journey there in search of the Seven. Third, when mentioning Denna, the Cthaeh mentions the beatings at the hands of her Patron, the abuse as a game. This is not the important part of what it mentions. The important part foreshadows Denna's eventual torture in the form of burns (which is an oddly specific thing for the Cthaeh to mention) and worse things that will leave scars. This sets up for the death of Master Ash at the hands of Kvothe, and possibly the death of Denna. The Cthaeh also reveals that Denna has feelings just as strong for Kvothe as he does for her. This may be what causes Kvothe's change in attitude toward Denna later in the novel, and is also meant to torture Kvothe with the idea that Denna is beaten within an inch of her life and that Kvothe was the last thing she thought of before fading into blackness, while also implying that Kvothe broke her heart. In his conversation with Felurian about the Cthaeh there is only one piece of information of import that is not mentioned by any other character. The Cthaeh bites. The Cthaeh is not in the tree and is not the tree itself. It is a seperate being and that would not be the first time it had bit someone. This gives the Cthaeh a visible, corporeal form. Speculation around this seems to indicate that the Cthaeh may be a skin shifter, or the demon burned in the book of the path, which was focused on heavily in NoTW while Kvothe was in Tarbean. Both of these conversations should be examined in greater detail especially in regards to the Cthaeh being prophetic because all the foreshadowing that is jammed into this rather short chapter will heavily impact Doors of Stone. What are your opinions on my observations and do they fall in line with your own? If not, what differs and why do you belive differently?